


Crazy For You

by VanityAvalance



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, with a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:28:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22971040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanityAvalance/pseuds/VanityAvalance
Summary: Fake dating AU'Charity seemed to be mulling something over in her mind. “Fine,” she finally said with an overly dramatic sigh. “I’ll do it.”Vanessa was confused. “Do what?”Charity was looking at the vet like it was obvious. “I’ll be your pretend girlfriend.”
Relationships: Charity Dingle/Vanessa Woodfield
Comments: 9
Kudos: 157





	Crazy For You

**Author's Note:**

> Fake dating AU. Not set at any particular time on the show. Vanessa is out of the closet, but her and Charity aren’t together and the cellar never happened (though it does get a mention – it’ll make sense when you read that part). As always, comments and kudos are much appreciated. Follow me on Twitter @vanityavalance

It was a quiet night at The Woolpack and Charity was running the bar on her own. It was getting late and there were only a few punters left.

Vanessa has been sharing a table with Rhona, but when Rhona had left, Vanessa had gone to the bar to get another drink and then remained there on one of the stools.

Charity was willing the remaining customers to go home so she could close early, but none of them seemed to get the message. Her eyes fell on Vanessa. Charity didn’t really do small talk and she certainly wasn’t in the habit of befriending any of the villagers, but she’d been stuck on her crossword for a while and she was bored. And she considered Vanessa one of the slightly less annoying people in the village. She joined the vet at the far end of the bar.

“So, what’s the matter with you, Little Miss Sunshine? You look like you’re drowning your sorrows.”

Vanessa looked up, taken aback slightly that Charity was trying to make conversation.

Charity noticed the surprised look on Vanessa’s face. “What? It’s part of a landlady’s job to check in on her customers and act as part-therapist. So what’s wrong?”

Vanessa didn’t really seem to be buying the concerned angle, but she gave in anyway.

“I’ve got my school reunion coming up. High school wasn’t the best time for me. I was never one of the cool kids. I got bullied quite a bit. And now that I’m going back I just don’t want to look like a massive failure.”

“Failure?” Charity seemed genuinely shocked. “What are you talking about? You’ve got Johnny. Your university degree. Your fancy job as a vet.”

Vanessa smiled slightly. She knew that was probably the closest thing to a compliment anyone was ever likely to get from Charity. But then she remembered why she was feeling a little bit down tonight and her smile dropped.

“I bumped into one of my school friends, Julie, earlier in Hotten. And I use the word ‘friend’ loosely. She was like something straight out of Mean Girls. She asked me if I was still single. It was just the way she said it. Like she clearly expects me to be alone forever. And it really got to me. So I lied. I said I had a girlfriend and that we were really happy.”

Charity didn’t see the problem. “Well a little white lie never hurt anyone.”

Vanessa sighed. “But then she said that she was looking forward to meeting my girlfriend at the reunion. Except obviously I don’t have one. So I’ll have to think of an excuse and she’ll probably know I made it all up.”

“Oh.” Charity seemed to be mulling something over in her mind. “Fine,” she finally said with an overly dramatic sigh. “I’ll do it.”

Vanessa was confused. “Do what?”

Charity was looking at the vet like it was obvious. “I’ll be your pretend girlfriend.”

Vanessa almost choked on the mouthful of drink she had just taken. “What?! Charity, that wasn’t....”

“You’re welcome. And there’s no need to be embarrassed, you should’ve just asked in the first place rather than dropping all those ridiculous hints.”

“Hints? I wasn’t dropping any hints. This is a terrible idea.”

“Oh come on. Imagine all of their faces when you rock up with ME on your arm.”

And Vanessa realised that Charity wasn’t wrong. Because the landlady was nothing if not easy on the eye. And it would certainly make a statement if people thought that someone as beautiful as Charity was her girlfriend. Vanessa couldn’t believe she was actually considering the idea. “And what do you get out of it?” she asked suspiciously.

Charity pretended to be offended. “Not everything I do has to have an ulterior motive you know. And besides, it’s not like I’m likely to get an invite to my own high school reunion.” Vanessa thought she saw a hint of sadness pass across Charity’s face, but it was gone almost immediately. “You buy my drinks for the evening and we’ll call it quits, yeah?”

Vanessa closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She had two choices. Either take Charity up on this ridiculous offer, or make up some excuse to all her ex-classmates as to why her ‘girlfriend’ couldn’t make it. She couldn’t believe what she was about to agree to.

“Okay. It’s a deal.”

***

Vanessa saw Charity in the pub a few nights later. She had a sense of foreboding about the reunion at the weekend and had half a mind to call the whole thing off.

She approached the bar and ordered her usual.

“So, what’s the dress code for Saturday night?” asked Charity as she pulled Vanessa’s pint. “Lesbian chic?” she continued with a playful raised eyebrow.

Vanessa rolled her eyes, not in the mood for Charity’s banter. “Wear whatever you’ll feel most comfortable in,” she replied in a slightly clipped tone. She was still annoyed with herself for agreeing to Charity's plan.

“Oh come on. I’m your fake date. So I’ll wear whatever you want me to. It’s all part of the service.” She winked at Vanessa. “So what’ll it be? Dress? Suit?”

Vanessa considered it for a moment. She couldn’t deny that there was something about Charity in a fitted suit. Not that she’d been thinking about it.

“Fine,” said the vet, softening. “Wear one of your suits.”

Charity handed Vanessa her change. “Oh so you like me in a suit do you?” she said with a cocky expression. “I always knew that did it for the lesbians.”

Vanessa blushed and quickly headed back to her table.

***

Saturday night had arrived. Vanessa had decided to drive. With the agreement being that she would buy Charity’s drinks for the evening it was out of the question that the landlady would be able to drive, and Vanessa just thought it would be easier than getting a taxi.

They’d agreed that they would meet at Tug Ghyll at seven o’clock. When Vanessa heard a knock on the door, she quickly glanced at the clock and was slightly surprised that Charity was actually on time.

When Vanessa opened the door and saw Charity, her breath caught in her throat.

The landlady was wearing a black tailored suit that fitted perfectly. Underneath the jacket was a black lace top that was partially see through. And the outfit was finished off with a pair of stylish heels. Charity’s hair was curled to perfection, and she was wearing just the right amount of makeup. Charity hadn’t been wrong the other night when she said her suits ’did it for the lesbians.’ Or maybe it was just Charity full stop, Vanessa briefly considered.

“Wow. You look....wow,” was all that Vanessa could manage.

“Very articulate, babe,” joked Charity, but she was secretly pleased by the reaction. “And you don’t scrub up too badly either.” Charity let her eyes slowly rake up and down Vanessa’s body. She was wearing a navy, figure-hugging dress that showed off just the right amount of cleavage. She was wearing her hair down and she’d curled it slightly, and her makeup accentuated her cheekbones. “Who would’ve thought you had such a hot body under all those layers of knitwear,” Charity continued. Vanessa blushed, which the landlady quickly realised was quite adorable. She silently wondered why she had never noticed Vanessa in that way before.

Vanessa grabbed her keys and handbag. “Your chariot awaits,” she said, whilst pointing to her blue beetle.

***

Charity had been chatting away about nothing in particular for most of the way to Vanessa’s old school. When they pulled into the car park and found a space, they looked at one another.

“So what’s my brief?” asked Charity. “How touchy-feely do you want me to be?”

Vanessa felt herself flush. She really hadn’t thought this through properly. But now that she was considering it, she realised all the little touches that would be needed for it to be convincing that they were girlfriends. The thought of Charity’s hands on her, no matter how innocent....of her hands on Charity....when Charity was looking like THAT....oh God.

Vanessa tried to put on an unaffected air. “I don’t know. It’s not like there’s a manual on how to act around your fake girlfriend at a high school reunion. Just....make it believable I guess.”

“Right. Got it. Believable. I can do that,” replied Charity, before she threw the other woman a wink and got out of the car. This was going to be a long night, thought Vanessa.

As they made their way to the entrance, Vanessa eyed the ‘Class of ‘92’ banner adorning the front of the school. It felt like a lifetime since she was last here. She felt nervous.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt Charity’s hand gently take her own, and she immediately tensed.

“I’m supposed to be your girlfriend, remember?” said Charity.

The landlady gave her hand a squeeze and shot a soft smile her way, and Vanessa instantly felt better, her nerves disappearing. She briefly wondered if that had been Charity’s intention in taking her hand, rather than it just being for appearances sake. But doing something like that was so uncharacteristically Charity that Vanessa quickly pushed the thought from her mind. She let herself be led the remaining distance to the entrance.

***

They were greeted at the door by Julie. "Vanessa, hi," she said in an overly nice tone of voice. She turned to Charity. "And this must be...."

"My girlfriend. Charity," Vanessa finished for her, holding their linked hands up as if for emphasis.

"Pleased to meet you," said Charity smoothly.

"And you remember Mick, don't you?" asked Julie, turning to a man stood beside her who had so far remained silent. “He was in the year above us at school, and we got together a few years after we left.”

The man seemed to be taking a particular interest in Charity, and Vanessa didn't like the way he was looking at the landlady. Not that she was allowed to be jealous of someone looking at her fake girlfriend.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked Charity. "I feel like we've met before."

Charity seemed nonplussed about the whole thing. "Not that I remember. Have you ever been to Emmerdale? I run a pub there. Maybe I've served you?"

They were interrupted as more guests arrived behind them, and Vanessa was glad of the excuse to move on.

Charity was eyeing the mobile bar that had been set up in the foyer. "Remember our agreement? Mine's a gin and tonic, thanks babe."

***

Drinks in hand, they walked into the sports hall which was hosting the event. There was a makeshift dance floor in the middle, surrounded by a number of tables and chairs where people were sitting in groups.

Charity and Vanessa stood off to one side, slightly awkwardly, as Vanessa had so far not seen anyone she remembered. Charity snaked her arm around Vanessa's waist and let her hand rest on the vet's hip, giving the impression that they were together. Vanessa felt her body tingle slightly at the contact, and hoped Charity hadn't noticed her reaction. Charity had started to realise that she quite liked the way her hand felt quite at home on the other woman’s body.

Charity then moved closer still to whisper something in Vanessa's ear. "Incoming, straight ahead. Do we like him or not?" To a casual observer it would have looked like Charity was whispering sweet nothings into her girlfriend’s ear. Vanessa tried not to be affected by the feel of the taller woman’s breath against her ear.

Vanessa looked up to see a man approaching them, and for the first time since they arrived her face lit up. "We like him. He was my best friend. We even dated briefly back in the days before we both realised we were gay," Vanessa quickly explained whilst he was still out of earshot. "Steve!" she exclaimed loudly when he got nearer, and they both hugged. 

***

Once the introductions were over, Steve was taking great delight in telling Charity as many embarrassing stories about Vanessa's school days as he could remember. 

“Did you know," he said as another story popped into his mind. "...that in high school Vanessa was voted most likely to become a lesbian? Of course it was meant as an insult back then, but who’s laughing now? Most of the guys here would kill to have a girlfriend as gorgeous as you are, Charity.”

The landlady preened.

Several other people had now joined their little group, but it was definitely Vanessa and Charity who were the centre of attention.

“So,” said Steve. “How did you two get together?”

Charity laughed. “Well it’s such a funny story,” she said, and then turned to Vanessa. “Do you want to tell it babe, or shall I?”

Vanessa panicked, and wondered why she hadn’t had the forethought to think up a back story beforehand. She could either let Charity go ahead with what would no doubt be some ridiculous tale, or she could try and think on her feet and come up with something herself. But she was drawing a blank.

With her slightly strained smile still in place, she reluctantly gave Charity the go ahead. “Why don’t you do it. You always tell the story so well.”

Charity grinned. “So we had lived in the same village as each other for years. And unbeknownst to me, Vanessa had a massive crush on yours truly and had secretly been pining away for me.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes, but looking round the group she realised that people seemed to be hanging on Charity’s every word.

The landlady continued. “Anyway, I own the local pub and one night Vanessa and I accidentally got locked in the cellar together. She couldn’t deny her feelings any longer and made a move on me, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

Charity put her arm around Vanessa's shoulder and pulled her closer, before placing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. Vanessa felt something flutter in her stomach. She heard a number of “aawws” coming from the group. As conversation turned to other people, Vanessa dragged Charity away.

“Why did you have to come up with that ridiculous story about getting locked in the cellar?” Vanessa admonished softly. “Things like that only happen in the movies.”

“I thought it was romantic. And it’s not like you’d got anything better. And besides, they were all lapping it up.”

Vanessa couldn’t argue with that. Charity definitely seemed to have a certain flair for telling stories.

“Now pipe down and let’s get back to them before they think we’re having a domestic,” said Charity.

***

Vanessa was surprised to realise that she was actually having a nice time, thanks in no small part to Charity. She was fun to be around, keeping the conversation flowing and sharing amusing observations with Vanessa about some of her ex-classmates. And it turned out the landlady was a surprisingly attentive date. She never strayed far from Vanessa's side with some part of their bodies always in contact, whether it be an arm around her waist, or a comforting hand on the small of her back. And despite their agreement, Charity bought the second round of drinks. And when Vanessa returned from the toilet to find Charity being chatted up, she was close enough to overhear the landlady say, "Thanks, but no thanks – I don't think my super-hot girlfriend would be too impressed." And she'd seen tiny glimpses under Charity's usual mask, glimpses of what she thought might be the real Charity Dingle. Vanessa didn't want the night to end. It turned out being Charity's girlfriend, pretend or not, was a good feeling.

***

Their group had gravitated to one of the tables and Charity and Vanessa were sitting side by side. When Charity placed her hand on Vanessa’s thigh, the vet tried to ignore the way it made her heart beat faster. She knew it was all just part of the act, but it was easy to get lost in the moment.

The music had been playing all evening, the songs from the eighties and early nineties. The tunes had been mostly upbeat; Charity had heard stories of Vanessa's legendary dance moves from some of the other villagers, and they weren't good, so she hadn’t suggested they dance. But as the evening wore on and the songs became a little slower, Charity thought she might be safe dancing with her 'girlfriend.'

They were still talking amongst the same group they had spent most of the evening with, and Charity was getting a little bored. She decided this would be the perfect time for a dance. She took Vanessa's hand and apologetically said to the group, "You'll have to excuse us because I want to dance with my girlfriend.”

As Charity led Vanessa to the dance floor, she noted the opening beats of Madonna’s Crazy For You begin to play.

The vet shot Charity a slightly uncomfortable look. 

"What?" asked the landlady. "This is what couples do."

Vanessa didn't have much choice but to go with it. Once they reached the middle of the dance floor, Charity's hands rested on Vanessa's hips. The vet, however, felt awkward and didn't seem to know what to do with her own hands.

"You're allowed to touch me too, you know," suggested Charity.

Vanessa rested her arms on Charity's shoulders with her hands linked behind the taller woman's head, deeming this the safest place for them. Vanessa vaguely registered the words of the song playing.

_Slowly now we begin to move  
Every breath I'm deeper into you_

They began to sway to the music, with mere inches between their bodies. Vanessa closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of Charity's hands on her hips. When she opened her eyes again and looked up, her eyes locked with the taller woman’s. Vanessa had never realised before quite how beautiful a shade of green they were, and it made her heart flip in her chest. At the same time, Charity pulled her slightly closer so that their bodies were now pressed together, and their faces were close enough that they could almost feel each other's breath.

_You're so close but still a world away, what I'm dying to say  
Is that I'm crazy for you, touch me once and you'll know it's true_

Vanessa felt like her skin was on fire at all the points where their bodies touched. She felt like all her senses were heightened. She could smell Charity’s perfume and it was driving her to distraction. And Charity was looking at her like she wanted to kiss her.

 _I never wanted anyone like this, it's all brand new  
You'll feel it in my kiss, I'm crazy for you_

Vanessa's eyes dropped to Charity's lips and back up again, and she noticed the landlady's do the same thing. Then they both leaned in closing the remaining distance until their lips met in a soft kiss. Charity pulled back slightly, searching Vanessa's face. For what, she wasn't sure. But finding no sign that the vet didn't want this, Charity leaned back in and captured Vanessa's lips again. There was slightly more urgency to it this time, and when Charity felt Vanessa let out a small moan, she deepened the kiss.

As the song ended, Vanessa suddenly seemed to come to her senses and pulled away.

"Drink?" Vanessa practically squeaked, and didn't wait for an answer before turning and fleeing to the bar. Charity was left stood in the middle of the dance floor trying to get her breathing under control.

***

Vanessa headed to the toilets first, and spent a few minutes trying to collect her thoughts. She wasn’t sure if the kiss had just been part of the fake dating act. But Charity had seemed equally as affected by it as she had been. Either way, it spelled trouble she decided. Perhaps another drink wasn't such a good idea after all.

Vanessa walked back to the sports hall, but couldn't see Charity anywhere. She went back to the foyer and saw Mike stood over someone in the corner. As Vanessa got closer, she realised that the person was Charity, and Mike’s hand was around her wrist. She saw a look on the landlady’s face that she could never remember seeing there before – fear.

Vanessa quickly closed the remaining distance. "Get your hands off her. What the hell's going on here?"

Charity wouldn't meet her eye and was silent, though she did break free from his grasp.

Mike turned around with a smug grin on his face. "Remembered where I knew your girlfriend from, didn't I." Charity's eyes turned watery. "Did you know she used to be on the game? How does it feel to know you're dating a cheap tart?" he finished with a sneer.

Charity couldn't bear to stick around to wait for Vanessa's reaction, and pushed past the both of them. Vanessa was momentarily lost for words.

***

Vanessa found Charity outside a few minutes later, sat on a bench in the dark. It was obvious she'd been crying. Vanessa sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry," Charity sniffed, not making eye contact with the vet. "I've ruined everything. This was my stupid idea in the first place to impress your friends, but now everyone thinks that you're dating an ex-prostitute."

"Hey,” said Vanessa softly. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. And it turns out trying to impress that lot in there isn't quite as important as I thought it was. I don't care about them. I care about you."

"You wouldn't, not if you knew the truth.” Charity’s voice faltered slightly. “I'm not sat here crying because some bloke said some horrible things about me, Vanessa. I'm crying because it's true."

"I kind of guessed that from your reaction,” replied the vet kindly.

"So why are you still here?" Charity turned and looked at Vanessa for the first time since she'd found her.

The smaller woman gently wiped the tears and mascara from Charity's cheeks with her thumbs. "Charity, I'm not going to judge you for anything that you've done in the past. I'm sure you wouldn't have done it without good reason. Do you want to talk about it? You can tell me anything.”

Vanessa took the landlady's hand and squeezed it. Charity wasn't sure what it was about Vanessa that made her feel safe, but she found herself relaying the whole story anyway. About how her dad had kicked her out when she was fourteen, how she’d lived on the streets, how she’d had to sell herself just to be able to buy something to eat.

When Charity finished, she waited for Vanessa’s disgusted reaction. Instead the vet simply said, "You're amazing," with her voice filled slightly with awe.

Charity's head snapped up, disbelief written all over her face. "You think I'm amazing?"

"Totally," said the smaller woman, genuinely. "Now how about we ditch this place and get ourselves home?"

***

They drove in silence, with Charity distantly gazing out of the window into the darkness.

When they arrived back at Emmerdale and Vanessa parked up, Charity didn’t move.

“You ready to go back to the pub?” Vanessa asked softly.

Charity shook her head. Vanessa had an idea and put the car back in gear.

***

They drove for fifteen minutes or so before Vanessa turned off the main road and down a smaller track. It opened up into a car park of sorts. She turned off the engine and got out of the car. Charity followed. Vanessa had bought them to a viewpoint, high up above a city below. What seemed like a million lights twinkled beneath them.

“It’s beautiful,” said Charity.

Vanessa half leaned against and half sat on the car bonnet, and the landlady followed suit.

“I come here sometimes, if I’ve had a bad day,” explained Vanessa. “It makes any problems feel more bearable, makes me feel a bit better somehow.”

Charity was silent, still taking in the view. She felt touched that the vet had shared this place with her.

Vanessa studied Charity carefully in the moonlight. Sadness was still evident on her face.

"For the record,” said the vet, “if we were _actually_ dating, I'd be proud to call you my girlfriend."

Charity briefly wondered what it would be like to be in a real relationship with someone as kind as Vanessa. “Right back at you, kid,” she replied sadly.

Something had been playing on Vanessa’s mind, something she needed to know the answer to. "Did you mean it earlier, when you kissed me on the dance floor? Or was it all part of the act?"

Charity was quiet for a long moment. She wasn't usually the kind of person who wore her heart on her sleeve, but there was something about Vanessa that was making her want to be honest for once.

"It wasn't an act, babe," she replied in a small voice. “I meant it."

"Me too,” Vanessa practically whispered.

They were looking at each other now, and Vanessa leaned forward and captured Charity’s lips in a kiss so tender, so gentle, that the landlady almost forgot to breathe. Nobody have ever kissed her quite like that before. They continued to kiss for several minutes but it never became heated, it stayed soft and full of feeling.

When they parted, Charity’s eyes stayed closed for a few more seconds before she opened them and looked at the smaller woman questioningly.

“Can I see you again?” Vanessa asked.

“I’m pretty sure we see each other most nights at the pub,” Charity murmured, the comment devoid of her normal sarcasm.

“No, not like that. Like this. Just you and me. A date. But a proper one.”

“Yeah,” said Charity with a shy smile. “I think I’d like that.”

Maybe the night hadn’t been so bad after all.


End file.
